BACKGROUND BRIEF & SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

1.    MAIN MISSION OBJECTIVES
To give the participants the opportunity to explore business in an international context. 

One of the main aims of the International Study Mission is to introduce students to the varied problems of business and management in a country with a rapidly expanding economy.  As well as this, it is intended that the Mission should address some key issues:

•    An understanding of the issues that arise in managing organisations in rapidly growing economies, particularly those challenges faced by SME’s

•    A sensitivity to cultural and other diversities as an issue in management and business

•    A wider appreciation of the general principles of management

•    An appreciation of the social and ethical issues that arise in international business

2.    SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

•        In order of priority, the five key areas which the group will have studied during the course of their MBA programme and which, perhaps, could be the focus of the visit as they relate to CITI (and some of its cluster companies) are:
STRATEGY
HUMAN RESOURCES
MARKETING
FINANCE
OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT

Other topics which would also be of great interest to the group include:
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
ORGANISATIONAL MANAGEMENT
SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITY
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
BUSINESS ETHICS
 

3.    GENERAL AREAS FOR DISCUSSION

•        What are the key problems facing South Africa’s economy now and going forward?

•        How do these problems impact on the strategic decisions taken by the IT companies within CITI?

•        What are the future prospects for South Africa and its role in world economics?

•        What lies ahead in the next few years with elections coming up in 2009?

•        What are the core strategies your companies employ for gaining competitive advantage.

•        Marketing Mix: What are the key elements that make up the marketing mix utilised in a typical SME IT company’s marketing strategy; which single marketing tool might be considered the most crucial, for a start up SME IT company, in today’s competitive global market-place? 

•        What are the key operational issues and challenges facing SME IT companies at present – what strategies are in place to tackle these issues.  Perhaps the students could offer some of their own ideas and theories here?

•        Human Resources: Building success on a company’s high performance culture.